Chuck Pagano on Richardson: 'A rolling ball of knives'

Sep. 19, 2013
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Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson runs during his first practice with the NFL football team in Indianapolis, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, after being traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Colts. / Michael Conroy, AP

by Mike Chappell, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Chappell, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano spoke Thursday about the trade that brought running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday:

"Obviously we feel great about acquiring Trent. His resume speaks for itself, even though it's a one-year glimpse. You can go back and look at what this kid did in the SEC for three years. When you rush for 3,100 yards and 32 touchdowns and catch as many passes as he caught, you rush for 1,700 yards his last year at Alabama in the SEC, that's as close a thing to professional football as you can get on a collegiate level.

"We know what he brings to the table as a runner, as a pass-catcher, as a protector. We feel very excited to have Trent in the fold."

Will he play Sunday?

"We did not bring him in here to, I guess, be the water boy on Sunday. He'll be ready to roll."

What kind of workload are you expecting out of him?

"As much as he can handle."

What does this do to a locker room? You've had a rough week with injuries.

"Number one, our guys have faced so much adversity since we've been here, everything we've been through over the last however many months. Nobody handles adversity quite like this locker room, quite like this coaching staff, this organization.

"You hate to lose guys, but it injects a little bit of energy you could say. Our guys are always excited to bring a great player into the locker room. They want to win. Trent (Richardson) wants to win. That's the bottom line. Every decision that we make, you've heard me say it before, we base on two things: what's best for this team and what's going to give us the best opportunity to win."

If Vick Ballard doesn't go down, this trade doesn't go down?

"You can never have enough runners. I think one of the games that I was able to attend last season while I was out sick was the Buffalo game, and I think we lost three backs in that game. I believe the next Monday or Tuesday, (general manager Ryan Grigson) was on the wire, and I think we brought in three different guys.

"I was up in the box looking at the deal and we were out of running backs. This guy, this guy, this guy. Not serious stuff, but they go down. You can't have enough runners. I mean, to say unequivocally no, I don't know (whether the deal happens with Ballard getting hurt). Phone rings, there's conversations and you do what's best for the team."

When did Ryan first come to you, and what was your reaction?

"I can't remember exact time that it was. Again, any time you have an opportunity and a name like that pops up, number three overall pick in the same draft as Andrew (Luck), right behind Andrew, RG3 (Robert Griffin III) and Trent (Richardson), obviously your ears perk up. There's a certain amount of excitement level. You're kind of like, 'Are you being serious? Are you messing with me on this deal?'"

You said the phone rang. Did the Browns approach you first?

"I was just being facetious. I don't know how it went down, to be honest with you. I don't know who dialed first. I guess when I said the phone rang, I don't know whose end was picking up first to be honest with you."

You now have two great power running backs. Can you talk about that?

"This guy is a rolling ball of butcher knives. Ahmad (Bradshaw) is the same way. He fits our system. He fits our scheme to a tee."

What's the value of having a young back to grow with a young quarterback?

"It's huge. He's 22 years old, just turned 22. I think he won't turn 23 until this time next year. It's great. You got a great young quarterback and a great young runner. We got other good runners in there too. You add another piece to the puzzle. We're trying to build something special. We know we're trying to build a monster here and we're trying to build a program for sustained success for the long haul. So this gives you another opportunity to do that."

Was this about getting the right type of running back for the system you want to run?

"It plays into it to a certain extent. But when it's the player that it is, I don't know how you pass it up or don't give it some thought and try to make it work."

What do you say to the critics that say it's a passing league and say the power running game is a thing of the past?

"You know what, to me, we can throw it. We got one of the best if not the best guys in the National Football League to do that. But you still have to be able to run the football to win at this level. You can sit back there and you have to be able to throw it to win a Super Bowl, I know that. We can do both. I think you have to have balance. Every week is going to be different. Some weeks you're going to need to run it a little bit more. Some weeks you're going to have to pass it a little bit more. We can do both."

Are you confident you have the offensive line needed to open up the holes for Trent Richardson?

"Absolutely."

You knew going into that draft last year you'd take Andrew Luck. How much time did you spend meeting with and learning about Trent Richardson?

"You have to. You do your due diligence. Just like we did on the quarterback that went number two to Washington. You study. Our scouts and Ryan (Grigson), our entire scouting staff studies everybody. So, we knew this kid inside and out. We made it known what direction we were going but you never know what's going to happen. So you make sure you know everything about everybody that's got a possibility of being picked up there."

Have you had a conversation with Trent Richardson yet and how did that go?

"Great. He's a fabulous young man and we know what type of player he is. But he's a special, special guy. I've taken a couple trips over the last couple years. When I was in Baltimore, I had an opportunity during the lockout to go down and spend a couple days with Nick Saban and their staff and just hang out and talk football. Met him then. I know a bunch of guys on that staff.

"We've got a bunch of people down there. You can't find one person through that facility, on that campus, who won't just give you raving reviews and glowing remarks about this kid, his passion, his work ethic, being a captain, all those things. This guy loves football. He's got a strong faith. He believes in family. Everything that we believe in, all our core values, he fits to a tee."

Do you envision him as an every-down back?

"Yeah, he can do it all. He caught 51 passes last year. I can't give you the breakdown of how many of those were on first, second or third down. I know he caught a bunch in college and I know he caught a bunch last year. At, I don't know, five whatever and 230 pounds, I know he can pass protect."

How does this change the way a defense has to prepare for you guys?

"All I know is, I got a couple texts from some players I used to coach and it was 'Wow, congrats and thank you.' And you know why they said 'thank you.' Because he's out of the division. That tells you right there. He's a game-wrecker."

Will it help Trent Richardson that he won't be facing eight in the box like he did in Cleveland?

"This guy, if they put nine down there, you just go watch, put the tape on, you can go back to his days at Alabama or last season or the first two ball games. He's a tough guy to get down on the ground. Very seldom do you see one guy bring him down alone. He'll break tackle after tackle after tackle. Again, he's always going to get positive yards.

"There may be a time here or there that he doesn't but he'll gain positive yards. He's going to make people miss. He's going to be hard to get on the ground but if they choose to do that, it just opens it up for everybody else. Opens it up for our tight ends, our wideouts in the pass game. So you got to make decisions on who you want to tend to."